Technical Assistance to Agricultural Producers and Rural Small Businesses Applying to the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)

UK will work with NonProfit Dynamics to assist farmers and agribusiness to submit applications to USDA-REAP. We aim to submit 10, 20, and 10 small, medium, and large applications, respectively over two years. Based on previous experience, anticipated projects will include production barns for dairy and poultry farms, grain drying or handling systems, and possibly greenhouse enterprises, irrigation pumping stations and/or farm shops. A UK staff engineer will work with potential applicants using a unique set of site assessment tools that have been previously developed by the authors for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvement projects to rank them based on their currently available records, potential impact for energy savings and environmental impact, level of interest in applying energy saving measures and other criteria. Preliminary calculations will be made for an assessment of the most significant energy saving measures that can be implemented on the farm or business. All calculations will be checked by one of the authors (who are currently registered Professional Engineers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky) prior to sharing with the farm or small business owner. The number of projects completed, pertinent costs and the amount of energy saved or generated from each project will be recorded and included in summary reports. NonProfit Dynamics will work with the applicants to complete the paperwork to submit the final proposal to the REAP application.